Ventilators



Nov. 6, 1962 1.. HENNEBERGER 3,062,125

VENTILATQRS Filed March 28, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 2'0 H4 la 2| 20 I l Fi .2 t g INVENTOR. l 3 Leo Henneberger BY Ca/LZK 1/0/7014 ATTORNEYS Nov. 6, 1962 1.. HENNEBERGER VENTILATORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Marbh 28, 1960 Fig.3

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as s L- INVENTOR. Leo Henneberger Nov. 6, 1962 L. HENNEBERGER VENTILATORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 28, 1960 INVENTOR. Leo Hen neberger 621/172 ado/2M9, f 98111,

ATTORNEYS 3,062,125 VENTILATORS Leo Henneberger, 146 Division Ave., Massapequa, N.Y. Filed Mar. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 17,992 12 Claims. (Cl. 98-37) The present invention relates to ventilators.

Known types of ventilators commonly employed under conditions which subject them to heavy winds and rain are defective to the extent that they do not adequately provide against flooding or leakage of water through the ventilator in driving rain. For some purposes, as for ventilating small craft, available devices are excessively costly and involve undue trouble and expense in installation. Also, they are unnecessarily complex and diflicult to maintain in working condition.

An object of the present invention has been to provide a directionally adjustable ventilating device which can be made to advantage from rugged but relatively lightweight material, such as linear polyethylene, and which is so constructed that it can be securely mounted in operative position and can maintain effective ventilation without flooding or Water leakage under extreme Wind, sea and rain conditions. It has also been an object of my invention to provide component parts of a ventilator which can be assembled and disassembled practically without tools and can be securely mounted in any desired operative position with comparative ease. Other objects and beneficial aspects of this invention will be apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings.

An embodiment of my invention comprises in general a base having a bottom wall an outer wall and an inner wall spaced inwardly from the outer wall, said bottom wall being provided with drain openings and said inner wall forming an air conduit open at its inner and outer ends. A housing having perforations in a lateral wall portion is releasably mounted on and in position to substantially enclose the base and is rotatable to different angular positions of adjustment in relation thereto. A bafile is operatively mounted in the housing between said perforations in its wall and the open air inlet end of the air conduit and is adapted for hand manipulation through the outlet end opening of the conduit to turn the housing to and from different operative positions of angular adjustment. Where said component parts are made of linear polpethylene, or material having equivalent physical properties, they are adapted for snap-on assembly of the housing with the base and with the baffle.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation with portions shown in transverse vertical section;

FIGURE 2, a side elevation showing the air conduit cap removed;

FIGURE 3, a vertical section on the line 33 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4, a horizontal section on the line 4--4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5, a bottom plan of the housing as viewed from the line 55, FIGURE 3, with parts broken away and a portion in horizontal section;

FIGURE 6, a bottom plan as viewed from the line 6-6, FIGURE 3, of the base member with the conduit closing cap removed;

FIGURE 7, a fragmentary view in perspective on enlarged scale showing interengaging connecting means between the housing and a portion of the baflie; and

-FIGURE 8, a fragmentary view on enlarged scale in section on the line 88 of FIGURE 6.

Referring to the drawings, and, as more clearly shown in FIGURE 3, a ventilator embodying my invention com- Patented Nov. 6, 1952 ice prises a base or supporting frame indicated at 10, a housing 11 and a bafile 12, all preferably formed of a generally rigid but locally flexible or bendable material such as linear polyethylene or the like.

Base 10 includes an outer wall 13, an inner wall which forms an air conduit 14 open at its upper and lower ends and a bottom wall 15, FIGURE 6, including radial arms 16a between drain openings 16. A removable cap 17 fits into the outer(lower) end opening of conduit 14- when the ventilator is not in use. Said base is provided with downwardly projecting bosses 18 having holes 22 to receive screws 19, or the like, by which the base 10 is secured, as to a deck 20, FIGURES 1 and 2, with the outer or lower end of conduit 14 extending into a hole or opening 21 through said deck 20, thus permitting free movement of air between the interior of the housing 11 and the interior of a cabin, or other enclosed space covered by deck 20. An annular groove 23 in the face of each boss 18, FIGURE 8, carries a gasket 24 or suitable packing which seals off the holes 22 in a manner to prevent leakage therefrom into the opening 21, as Well as leakage into the screw holes in deck 20.

To further minimize leakage into the deck opening 21, base 10 is provided at its under side with downwardly projecting radially spaced sealing ridges or ribs 25, 26 Whose sealing surfaces are in effect continuous with the under surfaces of bosses 18. Thus, when base 10 is secured firmly to deck 20, the under surfaces of said bosses 18 and said ridges 25, 26 are pressed into close contact with portions of the outer deck surface, thus in effect spacing bottom wall 15 from underlying opposed portions of said deck and providing a continuous seal around deck opening 21. It is contemplated that water discharging out of housing 11 through the drain holes 16 in bottom wall 15 will thus be prevented from entering through opening 21 into a cabin or like enclosure even though rain or sea may be forced through perforations in housing 11 along with air for ventilation.

Housing 11 is provided with means which co-act with means on base 10 to releasably and rotatably retain or interlock said housing on said base. Thus, as seen in FIG- URE 3, wall 13 of base 10 has peripheral flange means 27 arranged and adapted to interlock with shoulders 28 at the inner ends of spaced lugs having inclined faces 29. Opposite and spaced from shoulders 28, the housing 11 also provides seating means, as shoulder 30 for the upper (FIGURE 3) edge of wall 13 when the base and the housing are assembled. Where said parts have local flexibility, as when formed of linear polyethylene, outer edge portions of flange 27, in assembling, ride in yieldingcondition along the inclined faces 29 until the under edge of flange 27 comes opposite shoulders 28 where flange 27 snaps into place between said shoulders 28 and said bearing or stop surface or means 30. With this interlock, housing 11 is retained securely but releasably on base 10 and is free to be rotated thereon, as hereinafter described.

A lateral wall portion of housing 11 is provided with perforations, as ventilating slits 31 between slats 32 arranged approximately vertioally, as viewed in FIGURE 1, and slightly inclined toward the central vertical axis of the housing, as seen in FIGURE 2.

It is contemplated that the aggregate opening area of said slits will be less than that of the drain openings 16 in bottom wall 15 of base 10', so that, when the ventilator ships water, the incoming volume will always be less than the drainage capacity of drains or scuppers 16 and thereby avoid flooding unto conduit 14. As seen-in FIGURES 2 and 5, the slats or bars 32 are arranged with their bottom end portions disposed-substantially in a transverse bend arching forwardly so that the middle or longer bars are more inclined than the shorter or end bars.

The above described arrangement of the slits and bars, provides adequate air passage while effectively intercepting and deflecting foreign bodies, insects and the like, from the inlet openings or slits 3-1 in housing 11.

The baffle 12 may also be sprung or snapped into assembled operative position in housing 11 between slits 31 and the upper end opening of conduit 14. As seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, baffle 12 is in the form of an arched or flatly conicalplate having a central deflecting portion 33 provided with peripheral radial arms 34 each having a notch 35, FIGURE 7, at its outer end edge. To retain said baffle in operative position, housing 11. has lugs 36 each with a key portion 37 shaped and proportioned to fit snugly in a notch 35. Spaced lugs 38 also extend inwardly from interior surface portions of housing 11 in position to afford bearing shoulders for outer and under surface portions of arms 34. As seen in FIGURE 7,

the under faces of lugs 38 are inclined so that, in assembling, the arm ends will ride yieldingly thereon and snap into locking position when the end edge portions thereof are advanced into position to rest or bear on the shoulders 33. It is evident that the parts hereinabove described, when assembled, provide an effective interlock which ensures against accidental displacement in any direction of the baffle 12 from its operative position in the housing 11.

Baffle 12 also has a rib 39 which not only reinforces the central deflecting plate 33 but also provides a finger grip accessible through conduit 14 by means of which turning or rotating movement can be manually imparted to housing 11 through the baflie 12.

It is noted, FIGURE 4, that although central plate 33 of the baflle effectively overlaps the open upper end of conduit 14, the arms 34 are so spaced angularly as to expose the drain openings 16 beyond the outer edge or periphery of plate 33. Thus, when rain or sea passes through slits 31, the water is immediately deflected toward said drains '16 and is thus prevented from entering the upper end opening of said conduit 14.

It is contemplated that the effectiveness of ventilators embodying my invention is not limited to any size or to any particular locale or application, although some advantages, such as cheapness of production and ease of installation, would commend them to owners of small craft who especially also require the leak and flood proof advantages above described.

What I claim is:

1. A ventilator comprising a base having inner and outer radially spaced concentric annular walls and a bottom wall connecting said annular walls, said bottom being provided with an annular rib projecting downwardly therefrom and spaced radially from and concentric with said inner annular wall whereby said bottom wall may be retained in raised position above the top of a deck or like supporting surface when the ventilator is in operative position thereon, and said bottom wall having water drainage openings therethrough between said annular rib and saidouter annular wall, said inner annular wall providing an air conduit having an open upper end extending above and an open lower end extending below the lever of said water drainage openings in said bottom wall of the base, a housing mounted on said outer annular wall and including a peripheral wall having lower edge portions thereof slidably engaging and overlapping upper edge portions of said outer annular wall, means cooperatively interposed between said lower edge portions of the housing and said outer annular wall of the base whereby said housing is retained on and in rotatable engagement with said base, a lateral portion of said peripheral wall of the housing having a lateral portion provided with air passage perforations arranged above the level of the open upper end of said air conduit, and a baffle mounted in said housing between said perforations in the housing and said upper open end of said air conduit and spaced from said perforations and from said upper open end and with its peripheral edge spaced substantially uniformly from opposed inner surface portions of said peripheral wall of said housing, said baffle being arranged in said housing and adapted to deflect Water admitted thereto through said perforations away from said upper open end of the air conduit and toward said water drainage openings in the bottom wall of said base.

2. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein said baffle is a domed plate arranged with peripheral edge portions extending radially beyond and spaced axially from the upper open end of said air conduit.

3. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein said lateral perforated portion of the housing wall is arched in cross sectional contour and inclined at an angle to the central vertical axis of the housing, said wall portion being provided with perforations in the form of slits formed between parallel slats.

4. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein the baffle plate is provided at its under side with a hand hold extending toward and accessible for manual operation through the lower end opening of said air conduit, and is arranged and adapted to be actuated to eifect rotation of the housing in relation to the base to and from different operative angular positions.

5. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein the effective discharge area of the drainage openings is greater than the effective water passing area of the air passage perforations in the Wall of the housing.

6. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein said base is provided with sealing means which includes a downwardly projecting annular rib at the under side of said base coaxial with and outwardly spaced from said conduit and arranged and adapted to closely engage surface portions of a deck or other base support on which said base is mounted.

7. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein the base includes bosses extending from its under side and provided with holes adapted to receive screws for securing the base to a deck or the like, and the outer surfaces of said bosses are grooved to receive annular gaskets for sealing the screw holes against leakage of water.

8. Ventilator according to claim 6 and wherein said base includes angularly spaced bosses substantially continuous with said and downwardly projecting annular rib extending therewith from the under side of said base.

9. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein arms extending radially from angularly spaced peripheral portions of the bafile interlock at their ends With cooperating elements inside of the housing wall thereby to retain said baffle in operative fluid deflecting position in the housing.

10. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein the housing has an interiorly positioned inwardly extending lug which provides an upwardly exposed stop shoulder and the base has an outwardly extending flange having a downwardly exposed face arranged and adapted to bear against and interlock with said upwardly exposed stop shoulder to retain said base and said housing in assembled relation and permit said housing to be rotated on said base.

11. Ventilator according to claim 1 and wherein said housing is mounted coaxially with said air conduit and actuating means operatively connected to said housing and accessible for manual operation through said air conduit are provided to rotate said housing and thereby to bring said perforations into different positions of angular adjustment in relation to the axis of said air conduit.

12'. In a ventilator the combination of a substantially cylindrical air conduit open at its ends and arranged and adapted to be mounted in and extend through a circular opening in a deck or the like, an outer annular wall coaxial with said conduit and radially spaced therefrom, a rotatable housing mounted on said outer wall and provided at one side with air passage perforations arranged above the level of the upper open end of said conduit, and a bafiie supported in said housing in operative position between said air passage perforations and said upper open end of said air conduit, radially extending arms arranged and adapted to connect said conduit and said outer annular wall and thereby support said outer wall on said conduit wall, said arms having their outer end portions angularly spaced one from another to define Water drainage openings between them, an annular rib coaxial with said air conduit and operatively interposed between said water drainage openings and said air conduit and having portions arranged and adapted to space said drainage above said top surface of the deck and to reduce leakage of water around said conduit when mounted in a circular opening in a deck, said bafiie being coaxial with and 5 spaced from said open upper end of said air conduit and with its peripheral edges spaced substantially uniformly from laterally opposed inner surface portions of said housing, and angularly spaced outwardly extending bafile supporting arms arranged between said baffie and the housing and with outer end portions thereof operatively connected to effect rotation of said housing when the baffle is manually rotated, said baflie being arranged and adapted to deflect water admitted through said air passage perforations in the housing away from said open upper end of the air conduit and toward said water drainage open- 10 ings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,062 125 November 6,, 1962 Leo Henneberger It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 62, for "lever" read 1 i evel column 41 llne 25, strike out "in relation to the base"; line 46 strike out fend"; line 47 after 'rib" insert and column 5 llne 12, after "drainage" insert openings -0 Signed and sealed this 14th day of May 1963.

:SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID D Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

